Young Reaper
by AdamantAdmin213
Summary: Cobalt Branwen was raised by his father, constantly moving for his own safety. Now, he is brought to Beacon academy to fulfill his dream of being a Huntsman, and to see the family he was never able to approach.
1. Chapter 1: Under his Wing

**Sorry for anyone waiting for a continuation of my other fics, but while I was trying to write the next chapter of Vengeful One, I just hit a wall. So, I went back through to old reviews and one stuck out to me. So this fic is more of a self-imposed challenge on my part while I try and figure out where my other fics are going.**

 **Young Reaper**

 **Prologue: Under his wing**

Qrow wasn't surprised easily. Growing up a bandit had a way of desensitizing a person, and his years at Beacon had, to best of his knowledge, pounded the last nail into that coffin. The situations Taiyang and Summer could get themselves into could drive anyone to drink. At least, that's what he told himself.

But then, he wouldn't have traded those years for anything. After all, he had met her.

The woman seated across from him was looking anywhere but at Qrow as he tried to process what she had just said, brushing a blue-tipped hair behind her ear as the uncomfortable silence dragged on.

"I'm sorry, Sapphire. I must have misheard you." Qrow managed to stutter out.

"No, you didn't." Sapphire breathed, finally looking the Huntsman in the eye. "I'm pregnant."

Qrow nodded as if dazed, his racing mind brought to a grinding halt. So he said the first words that came to mind.

"Are you sure it's mine?"

Immediately, Qrow knew he'd made a mistake. Sapphire's eyes widened in shock for only a moment before narrowing in fury.

"Yes, I'm damn sure it's your kid!" She cried, slamming her palms down on the table as she stood, her chair tumbling over behind her. "How can you even ask me that, you asshole!"

"You're right. I'm sorry." Qrow raised his hands in surrender as his infuriated girlfriend stood there, panting. "I'm just… This is a bit of a shock, you know."

"Imagine how it feels to actually have a person growing inside you." Sapphire countered as her anger began to dwindle.

Qrow fought the urge to grab his flask as his thoughts slowly came into line. Interlocking his finders, he pressed the question.

"So what do you want to do?"

"I…" Sapphire sighed.

"You don't know?"

"I mean, I'm not going to 'get rid of it', if that's what you're thinking." Sapphire muttered, almost hugging herself as her anger vanished and the weight of her situation set in.

"Sapph.." Qrow placed a hand on her shoulder, urging Sapphire to continue.

"Qrow, I've known about this for over a week and you know what scares me the most right now?" Sapphire asked, looking down at the floor. "I already love this kid, Qrow. I love it so much."

Qrow smiled. "So you're going to keep it?"

Sapphire nodded. "Yes. I am."

Qrow gently pulled Sapphire closer, letting her rest her head on his shoulder, rubbing her back with gentle circles.

"Well, I'm in if you are."

"What?" Sapphire raised her head, her cerulean eyes meeting Qrow's crimson.

"We got into this together, didn't we?" Qrow asked.

* * *

"You're PREGNANT?!" Summer squealed.

Sapphire blushed and nodded.

The STRQ leader almost jumped for joy as Qrow chuckled at Sapphire's embarrassment.

"How far along are you? Is it a boy or a girl? Do have a name chosen yet?!" Summer asked question after question until she had to stop for breath.

"I'm about seven weeks along. It's too early to tell the gender and no, we haven't talked about names yet." Sapphire managed to answer though her embarrassment.

"This is so cool! First Tai and Raven had Yang and now you and Qrow?" Summer pumped her fist. "I'm going to be the best Aunt ever!"

* * *

Sapphire squirmed uncomfortably on the hospital bed as a cold gel was spread across her stomach. Qrow was standing beside her, holding her hand.

"Alright then, Ms. Gray." The Doctor smiled as he grabbed an instrument from a nearby table. "I'm told you're at eighteen weeks?'

"That's right."

"Wonderful." The doctor slowly rubbed the device across his patient's stomach, eyes locked on the nearby monitor. A soft, continuous, bumping sound filled the air.

"Is that-" Qrow began as the image on the monitor swirled.

"Yes, Mr. Branwen." The doctor confirmed. "That is your son's heartbeat."

"Son?" Sapphire gasped as she stared at the screen.

"Yes, Ms. Gray." The screen swirled once more as the doctor moved the device into place. The image was small, barely bigger than a peanut. "It's a boy."

Tears began to flow down Sapphire's face as she stared at the image.

"That's our son, Qrow."

The Huntsman squeezed her hand, smiling widely in agreement.

* * *

Qrow was wide awake, despite it being long after midnight. He couldn't believe how quickly time the time had passed.

Sapphire was asleep next to him, even in her sleep, her hands cradled her swollen stomach.

Gently, he placed his own, callused from years of handling his weapon on the large bump.

There wasn't much time left. They were approaching the end of the eighth month, and his uncertainties were only growing worse by the day.

Could he be a parent? With his semblance, he could only bring misfortune to the people he cared about. How could he raise kid with that constantly hanging over his head?

Then he felt it. A sharp strike to the palm of his hand.

Immediately, his doubts lessened. He wasn't in this alone, after all.

Slowly, he leaned over.

"Hey, kid. It's your dad. Just so you know, I will make mistakes. We will have some bad times ahead, but please, never doubt I love you."

Another sharp strike was response.

* * *

Qrow had been in Vale's hospital more often than he'd like to admit, but he'd never been in the maternity wing before.

Sapphire had gone into labour that morning and, after a few hours of uncertainty, Qrow had brought her to the hospital.

Since then, he had been shoved out the room by an older-looking nurse with a face that seemed to be locked in a permanent glare.

Since then, he had been seated outside, waiting and hoping that his semblance wouldn't lead to any deaths today.

The door suddenly bursting open signaled Summer's arrival, rose petals trailing behind her.

"Did is miss it?! Is my Godson here?!" She panted, looking as if she had run all the way there from Beacon. Then again, knowing her, she might have.

"No, Summer. He's not." Qrow replied without looking up.

Summer sat down on his right, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder.

"Sapphire will be fine, Qrow. She's strong."

"What if-"

"One word about your Semblance and I'm throwing your flask down a well." His former leader cut him off.

Qrow was about to protest, but a sudden swirl of movement in the center of the room cut him off.

A sudden slash mark appeared in mid-air, quickly spreading and leaking dark red energy as it expanded.

A nearby nurse scrambled back in terror as the strange phenomenon reached it's apex. From within, a duo of strange shapes began to take form until they stepped out of the portal. One dark haired woman, and one muscular blond man. Held tightly to the man's chest was a small child with the same hair, her lilac eyes darting around the room with interest.

"Did we-"

"No Tai, you didn't miss it." Qrow cut the taller man off. "Glad you two could make it."

Taiyang clapped a hand on Qrow's shoulder, smiling widely. "Wouldn't miss it."

"How long as Sapphire been in there?" The woman asked, looking towards the hallway that led to the delivery room without emotion.

"It's been about five hours, Raven."

Qrow's twin folded her arms. "Not so long than. I was in there with Yang for over nine."

The group settled into their seats, Tai distracting himself with amusing his daughter as the time began to drag on.

After what felt like an eternity, the door opened, revealing the same nurse that had shoved Qrow out.

"Mr. Branwen?"

Qrow's head snapped up.

"Would you like to meet your son?"

* * *

It took all of Qrow's self-control to keep his hand from shaking as he pushed the door open.

Sapphire was sitting up in the hospital bed, sweat plastered to her forehead and holding a bundle of blue cloth to her chest.

"Sapph?"

The woman smiled softly, putting finger to her lips before whispering.

"Come here, Qrow. Someone wants to meet you."

The Huntsman slowly approached the bed as Sapphire shifted her grip on the bundle, bring it's content into Qrow's view.

Crimson met crimson in that moment.

The child was tiny, it's entire body barely looked bigger than his hand, but what drew Qrow's attention wasn't the thin cap of blue hair, the same shade as his mother's, but it was his eyes.

They were wide open and seemed almost enamoured in the world around them, taking everything in with glee.

Sapphire's smile grew wider as she held up her son to his father. "Hold him."

Clumsily, Qrow accepted the baby, remembering almost too late to support the child's head.

The child only continued to stare up at his father, searing the image into his short memory.

"And I thought babies were supposed to be loud and annoying." Qrow chuckled.

The child smiled, finally attaching face to the voice that he'd heard so often before.

"He's perfect."

* * *

"Oh my Oum, He's so cute!" Summer squealed to herself.

"I'll admit, you outdid yourself this time, Qrow." Taiyang added, lifting his daughter so she could see. "See him, Yang? This is your cousin."

"Have you decided on a name?" Raven asked.

"Still deciding on that, actually." Sapphire replied. "I like Cobalt."

"Cobalt Gray?" Qrow shook his head. "Doesn't sound right to me."

"Not Gray. Branwen." Sapphire corrected. "I can already tell he's going to be his father's son."

Raven nodded in approval. "It's strong name."

"Really?" Taiyang frowned. "But you were fine with Yang taking my last name."

Before Raven could reply, the infant yawned, his eyes falling shut as he curled into his mother's arms.

"Think it's time to let him sleep." Qrow smiled teasingly. "And the mother looks like she could use some rest too.

"Qrow's right. We should be getting home ourselves." Tai confirmed as he climbed to his feet. "Get some rest, Saph."

As the rest of STRQ left the room, Raven's eyes found the child once more, an unreadable gleam in the crimson irises.

* * *

"You can't be serious about this, Raven!"

The Huntress scowled in disapproval as her brother blocked her path.

"This was the plan, wasn't it Qrow?" She countered. "We were sent to Beacon on a mission. That mission is done. It's time to go home."

"We ARE home!" Qrow's voice was etched with disappointment in his twin. "Raven, the tribe might have raised us but have you thought about what they do? They kill people. Innocent people that have never done anything to them. Have you thought this through, really?"

"Yes, and my conclusions remain unchanged." Raven shook her head. "The Strong survive, the Weak die. That is the way the world works."

"So you're just going to walk out on Tai and Yang?! You're going to leave your daughter behind to go back to murder and pillaging villages?!"

Raven's disappointment only grew, as did the harsh set of her jaw. "Ozpin must be proud. He's taken a fearsome warrior and turned him into another of his mindless drones."

"Ozpin had nothing to do with this." Qrow snapped. "There are people here that I care about here. They depend on me!"

"So it was Sapphire." The younger Branwen Twin spat. "She's the one that made you soft."

"Raven, please." Qrow was almost begging. "Just tell me why you're doing this? What did you see out there?"

Raven scoffed, drawing her blade in preparation. "This is getting us nowhere. Are you coming with me or not?"

"I think we both know the answer to that, Raven."

The bandit slashed open a portal and, sending one last disappointed glance at her brother, marched through.

* * *

Tai was beyond devastated by Raven's departure. Despite his teammate's best efforts, he was inconsolable, spending most of his time with Yang, just staring down at the face that so closely resembled to one he had once loved.

It was late one evening that Qrow was walking towards Sapphire's house after another futile attempt to help his friend. He'd been staying with her most nights, doing his best to care for the newborn. So far, the kid and his mother were still alive, so the Huntsman counted that as a win.

A swift gust of wind slapped him in the face, but it wasn't the cold or leafs that made Qrow halt. It was the smell it carried.

Smoke.

Qrow's head snapped up.

Far ahead, a thick cloud of burning ashes rose above the treeline.

The Huntsman broke into a run.

* * *

Sapphire pressed a hand to her side, her broken Aura doing nothing to stop the blood that flowed from the wound. Her weapon had been lost in the struggle, the fire dust it carried having set the wooden wall alight. Clenching her teeth, the wounded Huntress glared up at her attacker.

Raven regarded her with contempt as she stepped forwards once more, her bloodied katana in hand.

"I expected better from you, Sapphire." Her voice was almost disappointed. "I never knew what my brother saw in you. You're too soft for your own good."

Sapphire growled, trying to stand only to fall back onto her knees.

"But then again," Raven continued, coming to halt in front of the downed Huntress. "You were always weak."

The katana slashed once.

Swinging the blood off her sword, Raven sheathed the weapon and turned around. Standing before here were a duo of heavily built, heavily scared men, arms folded as they watched the shorter bandit dispatch the Huntress.

Gesturing them to follow, Raven led them through a door on the far side of the room, stepping over Sapphire's body as they did. Pushing the door open, the bandit found her target.

The crib was much too large, supposedly for the child to grow into, but the shape within was unmistakable.

Raven picked up her nephew, supporting him in the crook of her arm as she had once done with her own child.

"We done here, Raven?" One of her colleagues asked, watching with a disinterested eye.

"We are." Raven confirmed as the child squirmed in her grip.

"Hope the brat is-"

His words were cut off by the sudden violet squelch of metal meeting flesh.

Raven spun, her free hand reaching for her weapon.

Qrow stood in the doorway, his large blade in hand and standing over the two bandit's he had just downed.

"Put. Him. Down. Raven." He growled.

Raven studied her brother. He was between her and the door, so she wouldn't be able to escape that way. She could use a portal, but that would take her attention off her brother. She wouldn't be able to fight while holding her prize, but Qrow wouldn't be able to either without endangering his son.

Would the Huntsman be willing to take that risk?

"You know the rules of our Tribe, Qrow." Raven stated. "If you will not return," She glanced down at her nephew. "Another must take your place."

Qrow's eyes narrowed, raising his weapon. "Try and take him, and neither of us will be going back."

Raven's calculating stare hardened for only a moment before, as fast as she could, she tossed the child towards her brother. As the Huntsman dove to catch him, she swung her katana behind her, splitting the crib in half as she summoned a portal.

Qrow twisted as he stretched his arms up, praying to Remnant's long forgotten gods that he would be fast enough. Moments later, the tiny human landed safely in his arms, bursting to loud cries at the impact.

By the time Qrow looked back towards the shattered crib, his twin was gone.

* * *

Qrow was sitting in Tai's house hours after the endeavour, holding his son tightly, as if Raven might try to snatch him away at any moment.

Summer and Tai sat across from him, their horrified expressions never wavering.

"Why?" Summer whimpered, tears falling from her silver eyes. "Why would Raven do that?"

Qrow exhaled heavily. "Because of the Tribe. If I wasn't going back, she needed to bring someone to replace me."

Tai placed a tentative hand on Qrow's shoulder. "About Sapph…I'm so sorry, Qrow."

Qrow bowed his head in grief as his son stirred on his grasp.

"We can keep him safe, Qrow." Summer said with determination. "With the three of us here-"

"It's the first place she'd look, Sum." Qrow shook his head. "I'm sorry, but this is way it has to be. For now at least."

"Where will you go?" Tai asked, a heavy slump to his shoulders.

"Beacon, first. Oz will help me get set up. Then, I have a few ideas." Qrow stood, gently shifting his grip as he walked towards the door. "I've already called for a ride. We should get going."

"Good luck, Qrow." Summer called in sadness as Qrow left the house.

* * *

As the airbus began it's journey towards Beacon, Qrow smiled down at the child in his grasp.

"Cobalt Branwen. Has a nice ring to it."


	2. Chapter 2: Family

**Chapter 2: Family**

It was a normal day at Beacon. The sun was shining, the birds were chirping, and the majority of Peter Port's students were asleep at their desks.

Ruby was only a little embarrassed to admit she was almost one of them. She was seated in the back row, as usual, alongside her team.

Wiess was diligently taking notes on her leader's right, while on her left, Blake was hiding a book under her desk. Yang, seated on Wiess's opposite side, made no effort to hide her boredom, doodling in the margins of her notebook.

Ruby glanced at the clock. Had it really only been a half hour?

Port himself didn't seem to notice his class's disinterest. He continued his story with the same jovial tone of a proud parent.

"And so, once again victori-"

Port paused as the door to the classroom quietly clicked open.

It was a teenager, roughly Yang's age if Ruby had to guess. He was wearing a Beacon uniform with a bag over one shoulder. His hair, a deep blue, reached his ears and his crimson eyes shifted uncomfortably as he made his way towards the professor.

Port didn't seem to notice.

"Ah, glad you could join us at last." He welcomed warmly as he was handed the note.

"Yes sir. Sorry for the interruption. I was held up."

Something was nagging at the back of Ruby's mind, some quiet voice nagging that this newcomer looked familiar.

"Just don't let it happen again." Port gestured to an empty chair. "Take a seat, Mr. Branwen."

"Branwen?" Yang snapped up immediately.

Ruby shot a worried glance at her sister. The newcomer had taken a seat directly in front of Yang and, as Port resumed his story, seemed oblivious to the blonde's curious glances.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, the bell sounded, signalling the end of class.

"Remember, your papers on Grimm Anatomy are due on Monday." Port called as everyone packed up and left class.

Yang immediately tried to reach the newcomer, but quickly lost sight of him in the moving sea of school uniforms.

"Really, Yang?" Wiess chided, clearly unimpressed.

Ignoring the Schnee, Yang pushed her way through the crowd, disappearing from view.

"Yang! Wait up!" With a blur of rose petals, Ruby chased after her sister.

"What was that about?" Blake asked as she snapped her book shut.

"Who knows?" Weiss shook her head. "Lets just get back to the dorm."

* * *

Cobalt had taken a seat in the cafeteria near the end of a table with a tray of noodles when he felt a familiar presence. Smiling, he glanced up.

"Shouldn't you be on a mission, old man?"

"Don't call me old." Qrow grumbled.

"Last I checked, you have a seventeen-year-old kid. That doesn't exactly help your case." Cobalt laughed gently as he looked up at his father. "But really, shouldn't you be on a mission?"

"I'm on my way out." Qrow chuckled. "Just wanted to know how your first day was."

"Really?" the younger Branwen sighed. "Dad, I'm seventeen."

"I never sent you to school before. Let me have this."

"It was fine." Cobalt assured his father. "Uneventful and over quickly."

"So, you met 'them'."

Cobalt frowned, stirring his noodles with his fork. "Not yet."

Qrow shook his head with disappointment. "Kid, you know you'll have to talk to them eventually, right?"

"And I will." Cobalt assured the older Huntsman. "When I get the chance."

Before Qrow could come up with a reply, something short and very fast slammed into his side, throwing it's arms around him.

Ruby giggled as she came to halt against her uncle's side, rose petals dissipating behind her.

Qrow chuckled, ruffling her hair. "Hey, kid."

Before Ruby could respond, a very loud voice called from the cafeteria entrance.

"There you are!"

Cobalt flinched as Yang made a beeline for him, ignoring every student and stationary object that could get in her way until she reached her target.

"Hi." Cobalt greeted the blonde, turning his attention back to his noodles.

"Hey. I hear you're the new guy." Yang smiled flirtatiously. "I'm-"

"Yang Xiao-long." Cobalt cut her off. "I know."

Yang's smile changed from flirtatious to confidant. If this guy knew who she was, then he might have the information she wanted.

"You do?" Ruby asked as she released her Uncle, confused.

Cobalt glanced towards his father.

"Little help?" He mouthed.

Qrow shook his head with a small smirk.

Sometimes, Cobalt needed a little push.

"Well it's been fun, but I've got to run."

Cobalt's eyes narrowed. "Don't you dare."

Qrow smirked, turning to the door. "Have fun with your cousins, Cobalt."

Yang froze, looking towards her uncle's back as the key word of his statement clicked in her mind.

"Cousin?!"

Cobalt pinched his eyes in frustration.

"Damn it, dad."

By the time Yang and Ruby spun around, Cobalt had vanished.

* * *

"How much does he know?"

Ozpin frowned at Glynda's question.

"How much does who know?"

"Qrow's son." The headmaster's deputy clarified. "How much has Qrow told him?"

"From what I've been told, just what he needs to know, and only a cut down version." Ozpin replied, taking a sip of his drink. "His parentage has had an…unexpected side effect. Unfortunately, that will also make it much more difficult if he needs to be misled." The headmaster shook his head. "He knows there are things Qrow won't tell him."

"Does he-"

"He doesn't know about the Maidens, or 'Her'." Ozpin interrupted, placing his cup down. "But it's only a matter of time until he puts the pieces together.

Glynda nodded, looking at her scroll. "Then what can we do?"

"Train him and get him ready for what lies ahead. I believe that Cobalt will be a great asset to us, but if we attempt to restrict him too much, he'll only struggle harder to uncover the truth."

Ozpin's logic was sound, but Glynda still found one issue.

"He'll need a team. Even if he's as gifted as Qrow claims, he'll need support from his peers."

Ozpin chuckled slightly as he tapped an icon on his desk, bringing up an article.

It was a news report. The majority of the page was taken up by a picture of three men bound in thick rope to a street lamp. At the top off the image, the headline read: **Vigilante Archer foils robbery.**

"I believe," Ozpin began. "that Mr. Branwen will handle that himself.

* * *

"So, the new guy is your cousin?" Blake asked for clarification, looking up from her book.

After Cobalt's vanishing act in the cafeteria, Yang and Ruby had dashed around Beacon, finding neither hide nor hair of the blue haired youth. By the time the duo had returned to their room in defeat, the shattered moon had already risen high in the black sky.

"Yep." Ruby nodded.

Wiess frowned in confusion, setting her notebook aside. "And you've never met him? Why?"

"We don't know." Yang shook her head in frustration. "He just took off before we could grill him."

"Have you tried knocking?" The heiress asked.

"Knocking?"

"On his door?" Wiess clarified. When her teammates still didn't seem to understand she clarified.

"Third door on the left from us? I saw him going in there. I'm assuming it's his room."

Yang and Ruby stared blankly for a moment before Yang stormed out the door, her violet eyes turning a few shades closer to red as Ruby dashed after her.

Finding the door in question, Yang hammered her fist against it, the metal creaking in protest.

There was a quiet shuffling on the opposite side before the door slid open, revealing a completely unsurprised Cobalt.

"What took you so long?" He asked, rolling his shoulders.

"ARE YOU REALLY OUR COUSIN?!" Ruby exclaimed loudly, prompting Cobalt to sigh. He turned back into his room, gesturing for the siblings to follow.

The room was of a similar size to the girl's own, with three of the four beds pushed against the far wall and the one remaining settled into a corner. A pair of chairs had been set up, both facing towards it.

Cobalt led the red and yellow duo towards the set-up, taking a seat on the edge of his bed and gesturing to the chairs.

As the girls took a seat, Cobalt began.

"So, I assume you have questions?"

"Yeah, just who the hell are you?" Yang demanded, folding her arms.

"My name is Cobalt Branwen. My father is Qrow Branwen." Cobalt replied without looking away.

"So… you really are our cousin?" Ruby asked hesitantly.

"I am."

"That…is...AWESOME!"

Before either of her elders could react, Ruby launched herself forwards, throwing her arms around her newly introduced cousin.

Cobalt flinched at the contact, but Ruby didn't release her grip, clinging to his torso with vice-like strength.

"But why did we never meet you before?" Yang asked with a frown. "Where have you been?"

"There were…circumstances." Cobalt shook his head. "Look, I can't tell you everything. I don't know everything myself, but my dad said it was for my own safety." Before Yang could interject, Cobalt raised his hand. "Look, it's late and we have class tomorrow morning."

Ruby nodded in understanding, looking at her sister. "We should get some sleep too, Yang."

As the girls left, Yang paused in the doorway, looking back at her cousin.

"Cobalt?"

"Yeah?"

"I just wanted to ask, do you know anything about my mother?"

Immediately, Cobalt's fists clenched. "Yang, I'm not going to help you find her, but if you're smart, you'll listen to me now. Raven Branwen is a selfish bitch that isn't worth a moment of your time."

Before Yang could say anything, Cobalt's hand snapped to the button beside the door, causing the cold metal to slam down, the lock-light blinking into existence a moment later.

* * *

It was a cold night, the small box heater doing very little in such a large space.

It was a large, abandoned warehouse outside of Vale's primary city that, for the past several years, a single man called his home.

He was older, closer to elderly then he would ever admit, with a thick, untrimmed beard and only a few thin, gray hairs atop his head.

He was standing at a metal bench, left behind when the warehouse's previous owners had left, typing furiously at a laptop computer. A thick cable ran from its side, towards a large container a few feet away, a faint green light emanating from between metal blinders.

"Come on…almost…"

Moments later, his compute began emitting a loud beeping noise, an error message flashing red on its screen.

 **Error: Insufficient Power.**

"Oum Damn It!" The man roared, smashing his fist down on the bench.

He heard the door creak open behind him, but paid it no mind. The lock had been broken when he found this place and he hadn't the time or money to have it fixed.

"Having trouble, Doctor?"

The scientist spun on his heel, almost shielding the computer with his own body.

Strolling casually towards him was a young woman at the late end of her teens. She was wearing a thick, purple jacket that matched her shoulder length hair. Across her back was large shield, with what was obviously a weapon hilt sticking out the top. Her gaze didn't linger on her host, instead drifting casually around the room as she approached one of the abandoned shelves, swiping a fingertip of dust off the surface and rubbing it between her finger and thumb.

"Who are you?!" The scientist snarled. "How did you find me?!"

The teen didn't react to his harsh delivery as she turned her, of course, purple eyes towards him.

"I know who you are, Dr. Lazrin. Former highly respected member of the Atlas Military Robotics division. Designer of both the AK-130 and 200 models."

Dr. Lazrin's eyes narrowed, his hand reaching towards the pistol he had under his computer.

"Accused of unethical experimentation and exploitation by your superior. What was his name again?"

Dr. Lazrin's hand closed around the gun.

"Oh yes. Dr. Morrison Quill."

Immediately after hearing that name, Dr. Lazrin roared in fury, swinging his weapon to aim at the young girl.

But as he did, he felt something smash down on the gun, throwing off his aim.

The girl had closed the several meters between them in an instant, a hand going to her weapon hilt and, in one smooth movement, sliced the pistol cleanly in half.

Before the scientist could realize what had happened, the blade of a broad, toothed sword was next to his neck.

"Touch a nerve, did I?" The girl asked sweetly.

A cold sweat broke out on Dr. Lazrin's brow as his guest removed her weapon, slipping it back into its sheath.

"Let's try to prevent any bloodshed here, okay." She said as she took a step back. "Now, if I wanted you dead, Doctor, you'd be dead. In fact, I'm here to ask for your help."

"Help?" Dr. Lazrin hissed in disbelief.

"Yes. You see, I represent a…group that sees the potential in your research. The power it could unlock. The future. And to that end, I was told you approach and, hopefully, recruit you to our cause."

"And what would I get out of this…arrangement?" Dr. Lazrin asked warily.

"Resources, for one. The chance to finish what you started before Dr. Mor-"

"Do not say his name!"

"-Before you were cast out." The girl corrected herself, offering a hand. "So, what do you say? Will you meet my superior?"

Dr. Lazrin's eyes darted to the girl's weapon as he weighed his options before slowly reached out and accepting the offered hand, giving it a firm shake.

"And what do I call you?" He asked as he followed after the girl towards the door.

"You can call me Amethyst."

 **A/N: Sorry for the delay, but life happens, regardless of our intentions.**


End file.
